


My Father's Coat

by DetectiveEma



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Family, Fluff, Gen, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-17
Updated: 2017-09-17
Packaged: 2018-12-30 16:21:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12112566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DetectiveEma/pseuds/DetectiveEma
Summary: Morgan comes across a stranger on the road wearing a familiar coat...





	My Father's Coat

Morgan had her eyes locked onto her enemy. She'd analyzed her opponent carefully, assessing it for weak points. It was fast, and could quickly escape her grasp, so timing her attack would be of the utmost importance. She was stronger, though, and knew she could press her advantage.  
  
But as she dove for it, the sparrow quickly flew off, leaving her flat on the ground, empty-handed.  
  
The girl stood up, shaking the dust and dirt off her clothes and hands. She'd been bested again, but all that meant was that her strategy needed improvement. Still, even though she was only six years old, she was sure she could put together a plan of attack that could catch a bird. With a slight smile, Morgan prepared to head back home before it got late and scratch out some ideas on paper. After all, she didn't want to stray too far from home.  
  
However, as she stumbled back out of the woods to the main road near her house, Morgan saw something she wasn't prepared for. A traveler was walking down the road, wearing a heavy hooded coat. A familiar one.  
  
Cautiously, she followed the stranger down the road, trying to stay out of sight. The traveler was walking slowly, almost leisurely. Sure, the road was one of the many that split off from the larger roads near Ylisstol, but few travelers ever came this way, and Morgan was suspicious. She followed, increasingly sure that they were both heading towards her house.  
  
Then, suddenly, her foot caught upon an unseen root and she fell to the ground with a loud thud and a brief cry of surprise. By the time she had stood up, the stranger was right in front of her, face still obscured by the shadow of the coat's hood.  
  
"Are you alright, young one?" said the traveler, her voice gentle and concerned.  
  
"I-I'm fine!" Morgan insisted, although she was still slightly shaken. She took a moment to look the traveler over, and determined that she had been right. The coat was the same.  
  
Morgan knew the rules her parents had taught her. "Don't talk to strangers" was of course one of them. But her curiosity won out, and she had to ask:  
  
"Where did you get that coat? It's just like Father's!"  
  
The traveler laughed slightly. "It's a long story. Perhaps for the moment, you could lead me to your father's house? It's been too long since I came through these woods and I fear I have been somewhat turned around."  
  
"Are you a friend of Father's? Like from the war?" Morgan asked, her worry fading. Her father had been the Exalt's tactician, after all, so if this traveler was one of his many comrades, she could probably be trusted.  
  
"Something like that. Shall we get going? I don't want to make you late to arrive home," said the traveler.  
  
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot! My name's Morgan!"  
  
At this the traveler smiled, but didn't respond. The two started walking down the road.  
  
====  
  
"Father, I'm home! I brought a friend who wanted to meet with you!"  
  
Robin hurried to the door to check on his younger daughter. The wars were long over, but his soldier's instinct left him wary of unexpected visitors. His worry was quickly abated, however, when he saw who it was standing with Morgan.  
  
"It's been a long time. It's good to see you again," he said to the hooded traveler.  
  
"I'm sorry to have been away for so long; I hope I didn't make you worry," she responded. "Can I come inside?"  
  
"Of course. You're always welcome in this home. You know that."  
  
Morgan looked up at her father and her new friend, unsure of what was going on. After a moment, her confused look caught her father's attention.  
  
"Morgan, why don't you go play upstairs? We're going to be talking for a while. I'll send your sister up there in a moment to keep you company," Robin said.  
  
"Okay..." she answered nervously, before turning to head up to the bedroom she shared with her sister in the house's small second floor.  
  
Sitting on her bed, Morgan couldn't help feeling frustrated. The stranger was clearly a friend, and her parents had introduced her to several of their old friends from the war days. She tried to remember as many as she could: there was Lord Virion, Captain Cordelia, Sir Frederick... Why was this one different?  
  
Moments later, her older sister Cynthia came up into the room, pouting and complaining. "Who was that? Mother and Father seemed excited to talk with her, but we don't get to meet her?"  
  
"I don't really know who she is," Morgan muttered. "I just met her down the road from here, and she wanted to come meet with Father."  
  
Cynthia seemed unsatisfied with the answer and began pacing back and forth across the room. Suddenly, a big grin spread across her face. "I have a plan!" she whispered.  
  
"A plan? Last time we went with your plan, Mother got really upset at us for messing up her garden!" Morgan responded, also lowering her voice to a whisper.  
  
"Look, we're just going to hide out on the stairs around the corner! We should be able to hear them talk from there."  
  
And before she could think twice, Morgan was being pulled out of the room by her sister.  
  
====  
  
Cynthia was right, though. From the bottom of the stairs, the conversation from the next room over was audible, if only barely. Morgan was struggling not to fall as her sister leaned down over her.  
  
"I just got done with a visit to the capital, actually," the traveler was saying. "Exalt Chrom was busy as ever, but he made time to meet with me for a bit. He sends his greetings, of course. How did he put it... 'Robin and Sumia, dear friends, you are always welcome in Ylisstol.'"  
  
"We really ought to visit again soon, Robin," said Sumia.  
  
Robin nodded, just barely out of sight of his daughters. "Yeah, we're overdue to drop in. I guess I'm not in a position to criticize you for taking so long to visit us, then, am I?" he chuckled.  
  
"It's working, Morgan!" Cynthia whispered. "We can hear them!"  
  
"Shh, we'll get caught if you keep talking!" came Morgan's response. She'd missed a few seconds of the conversation trying to keep their cover.  
  
"I've been all across the continent in the last few years, researching and adventuring," came the traveler's voice. "It's amazing, really. Even in the furthest corners of the land, years after the fact, people know about the Exalt and the Shepherds."  
  
"That's not too surprising," said Sumia. "War came to nearly every door in those days. This peaceful time was hard-fought, after all. I'm just glad we lived to see it."  
  
"I wanted to give my family a world free from war where they could be safe," Robin said quietly. "I'm just glad my daughters can be free of that pain this time."  
  
"This time?" Cynthia whispered loudly, leaning forward further across her sister.  
  
"Ah, Cynthia! Too heavy!"  
  
The two fell down the last step of the stairs to the floor in front of them, landing in a pile, thankfully unhurt. By the time Morgan had stood up, her parents were right in front of her.  
  
"Girls, were you eavesdropping on us?" Sumia asked, in that stern tone that only a mother can use.  
  
The traveler walked over from across the room. "It's okay," she said. "After all this time... I think they're ready to meet me."  
  
Morgan looked up at her, and realized that the traveler's hood was pulled down and no longer obscured her face. And the face she saw was one she knew quite well.  
  
"My name is Morgan," said the traveler. "That is to say, I'm you."  
  
====  
  
An awkward silence hung over the sitting room as the young sisters came and sat near their guest.  
  
"I-I'm sure you must have a lot of questions..." started Sumia nervously.  
  
Morgan had more than she could count, but couldn't figure out where to start. Fortunately, the other Morgan spoke up instead.  
  
"Cynthia, Morgan... I'm sure you've heard the tales about Princess Lucina. Of course, she's only a little older than you two, but... The story's pretty well-known by now. During the war, an older version of her from another timeline came to this world to help save it." The sisters nodded, because of course they had heard the stories.  
  
"What was less widely-known was that she wasn't the only one. In fact, there were about a dozen of us... children from another world, hoping to save this one. Among them, there was another Cynthia, and another Morgan... me." At this, the older Morgan smiled at her younger counterpart, who looked down in embarrassment.  
  
"Since the war ended, most of us have parted ways to travel the world, myself included. We didn't want to take the place of our selves from this world, after all."  
  
The awkward silence fell back into place. The young Morgan was scrambling to keep up with her own thoughts, but there were too many conflicting emotions and the words weren't coming.  
  
Eventually, Robin broke the silence. "I understand if it's difficult to accept that there's another version of you out there in the world--"  
  
"It's the coolest thing!" exclaimed Cynthia, suddenly jumping out of her chair. "Is the other me a hero? Did she help save the world? What has she been doing lately?"  
  
"Cynthia, do we need to have another talk about your inside voice?" asked Sumia, earning a swiftly mumbled "sorry, Mother" from her excitable daughter.  
  
"The other Cynthia is doing well," the adult Morgan said with a chuckle. "We crossed paths just a few months ago near the Feroxi border. I'm sure she'd love to meet you someday."  
  
Where Cynthia had started to let out her excitement, the young Morgan was feeling too overwhelmed to speak, or even look up. Her father eventually took notice.  
  
"You know," Robin said, "maybe it would be for the best if we gave the Morgans some space to themselves to talk without the rest of us hanging around. Would you like that, Morgan?"  
  
"Yes, Father," both Morgans said simultaneously. The adult Morgan pointed towards the stairs, and the two went up to the girls' bedroom, leaving an eager Cynthia hounding her parents for stories in the sitting room.  
  
====  
  
Morgan sat on her bed, looking at the young woman who shared her face. Since they had sat down, several minutes had passed in silence while she tried to figure out what to say. "Take your time," the other Morgan had said. But that didn't make it any easier.  
  
"Um... how old are you?" It wasn't the most interesting question to start with, but she was curious and wanted to at least ask something.  
  
"To be honest, I don't really know," the other Morgan answered. "Unlike all the others who came from that other timeline, I lost my memory in the process. Based on what Cynthia told me, though, I'd guess about 25. But I can't be too sure."  
  
"So you're like Father, then? He said he lost his memory a long time ago too."  
  
The other Morgan nodded. "When Father, Chrom, and the Shepherds found me, I was lost and confused in a frozen ruin. All I had was Father's coat and a few memories of wanting to be a tactician just like him. I didn't even recognize Mother's face for a long time... and I still don't remember much from before then."  
  
"That's... so s-sad..." Morgan started to feel choked up, imagining how afraid she'd be if she couldn't recognize her own family.  
  
"It hurt, for a while," said the other Morgan, her voice holding steady. "And I'd be lying if I said I didn't wish to remember. Honestly? I'm a little jealous of you."  
  
"Huh? Jealous of what?"  
  
"Your life with Mother, with Father, with Cynthia... you get to remember all of it. I probably had a childhood a lot like yours that I forgot all about. I think I tried to make up for it by acting like a child after I lost my memory."  
  
Morgan wasn't quite sure how to respond. It was a lot to take in, but her counterpart was clearly willing to wait quietly.  
  
Finally, she arrived at her next question: "Why do you still wear Father's coat?"  
  
The older Morgan looked down and away, somewhat embarrassed, which the younger Morgan recognized immediately as one of her own habits. After a moment, she answered.  
  
"It's the only thing I have left from my childhood. It reminds me of the family I had in the old world... even though my memory of it has been taken from me. And it reminds me of the family I found here. My parents - that is, our parents - have always treated me as their own, even though the circumstances were complicated."  
  
The younger Morgan stayed silent, waiting for her to continue, so she kept going. "The last time I visited was just after you were born. Cynthia was so young she probably doesn't remember. I've been afraid of coming home and seeing you two growing up." She sighed. "Maybe I was more jealous than I wanted to admit."  
  
"But I'm happy I got to meet you!" said the younger Morgan, jumping up from the bed. "You're like a really big sister, or an aunt, or something, but you're still family, aren't you?"  
  
The older Morgan looked down at the child in front of her, smiling so eagerly. It felt familiar, and she realized she remembered this smile - her own, in a mirror, a long time ago.  
  
"Family... of course. Thank you, Morgan." The two smiled at each other.  
  
There was a knock at the door, followed by Cynthia's voice. "Come on, Morgan, I wanna talk to her more too!"  
  
The Morgans nodded, and went downstairs.  
  
====  
  
Morgan walked down the forest road, pulling her coat's hood back over her head. She was glad to have visited, even if her family was sad to see her go again. Nearly ten years since she had found herself lost and confused, she finally felt like the world made sense to her again. This was their world, but she still had a place in it.  
  
The sun shone down through the leaves. With a slight smile, Morgan made her way down the road to the next town. There was so much still to explore in the world, but she promised she'd be back sooner this time.  
  
After all, she didn't want to stray too far from home.


End file.
